Comb and comblike device



March 27, 1951' F. c. HUNT COMB AND COMB-LIKE DEVICE Filed Nov. 18, 1946Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES risen ?TELT QFlCE ApplicationNovember 18, 1946, Serial No. 710,549 In Great Britain November 29, 19456 Slaims.

This invention concerns improvements relating to combs and comb-likedevices, hereinafter re-- ferred to as combs.

In a comb in accordance with the invention, the teeth, preferably roundin cross-section, are mounted so as to be capable of rotating in eitherdirection about their axes and are formed with circumferential rills.Such a comb has, it is believed, the advantage that less friction is setup during relative movement between the comb and the filamentarymaterial upon which it acts. Consequently not only is less workinvolved, but also there will be less tendency to produce or releasefrictional electricity. In the case of a hair comb, the rotatable teethallow the comb to be drawn more easily through the hair in any directionand with less danger of damaging or breaking the hair. Furthermore, itis believed that the reduced release of electricity and development ofheat resultant upon the reduced friction should have a beneficial effectupon the hair, permitting more natural growth of strong lustrous hairand encouraging any tendency to curl. In the case of curly r permanentlywaved hair, the comb according to the invention,whilst equally or moreeffective in disentangling the hair, has less tendency to straighten thecurls or damage the wave than has an ordinary comb.

With all kinds of hair, in addition to the combing effect, there is apolishing or sheen-producing efiect upon the hair.

The circumferential grooves or rills assist in separating the hairduring combing and in preventing the bunching of the hair against thespine of the comb.

Advantageously the free ends of the teeth of the comb, particularly ahair comb, are provided with small freely rotatable balls. Thisprovision avoids the scratching or inflammation to which sensitivescalps are liable when a comb with pointed teeth is used.

In an advantageous arrangement, rollers, preferably also provided withcircumferential rills or grooves, are disposed longitudinally on bothsides of the spine of the comb at or slightly below the lower edgethereof, 1. e. the edge from which the teeth project. These rollers maythus mask the roots of the teeth and assist in preventing hair frombeing caught there. Also they act upon the hair to assist in producing asheen.

Two embodiments of the invention by way of example will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a comb and case,

the comb bein shown fitted into the case ready for use,

Fig. 2 a transverse cross section thereof to a larger scale, and

Fig. 3 an end view of the same comb and case, the comb being shownaccommodated in the case in the position occupied when it is not in use.

Fig. l is a side elevation, par ially in section, of a portion of arather simpler form of comb, and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a portion of arather simpler form of comb, and.

Fig. 5 cross-section thereof.

In the form of comb illustrated in Figs. 1-3, a series of pins 5 isfixed in the spine or back 2 of the comb and the teeth proper 3, whichare hollow over a greater or less fraction of their length, arerotatably mounted upon the said pins. The teeth are prevented frombecoming detached from the pins by turning in a very fine flange 4 atthe top of each tooth so that it engages an annular groove 5 in the pin.The teeth are formed with small circumferential grooves or rills 5 overthe whole or a substantial part of their length. The free ends of theteeth are formed with sockets l in which freely rotatable balls 8 arefitted.

A flat open-ended case 9 for this comb has inturned flanges iii at itslower edges which can be slidably engaged with longitudinal grooves H inthe spine 2 so as to hold the comb either with its teeth projecting(Fig. 2) or with the teeth housed (Fig. 3). In the former position, thecase serves as the part to be held by the user whilst combing the hair.The case 9 has a lining E2 of felt which has a cleaning action upon theteeth 3 whenever they are inserted in or removed from the said case.Brackets l3 attached to the case 9 by screws 54 support rotatablelongitudinal rollers i5, rilled like the teeth 3, at or below the levelof the roots of the said teeth.

The particular design shown in Figs. 1-3 was devised for manufacturewholly of metal. Combs in accordance with the invention can, however, bemade wholly or in part of other materials, particularly plastics,papier-mach and so forth, particularly attractive results beingobtainable by the use of coloured and/or transparent plastics.

The somewhat simpler comb shown in Figs. 4 and 5 may be made largely ofplastic. In this case, the roots of the solid teeth 3 provided withenlargements it are received in complementary recesses formed in the twohalves ii, iii of a longitudinally divided spine, the said halves being3 stuck together (as shown) or hinged or otherwise secured together soas to permit replacement of broken teeth. Alternate long and short teethpermit of the enlargements l6 being staggered and the teeth arrangedcloser to each other. In this example, the balls 8 may be dispensed withand the brackets l3 for the longitudinal rollers l5 mounted directlyupon the spine parts ll, [8.

I claim:

1. A comb comprising a spine, comb teeth formed with circumferentialrills and mounted on the spine so as to be capable of rotation abouttheir axes, and freely rotatable balls mounted in the free ends of theteeth.

2. A comb according to claim 1 and comprising rotatable rollers arrangedto extend longitudinally on both sides of the spine of the comb slightlybelow the lower edge thereof.

3. A comb comprising a spine, comb teeth mounted on the spine so as tobe capable of rotation about their axes, and rotatable rollers arrangedto extend longitudinally on both sides of the spine slightly below thelower edge thereof.

4. A comb according to claim 3, wherein the rollers are provided withcircumferential rills.

5. A comb comprising a spine, rotatable teeth mounted on the spine, acase having formations engageable with the spine so that the case can beslid longitudinally thereon with the teeth either housed within the caseor projecting therefrom, and longitudinal rollers mounted upon the caseso as to extend on both sides of the spine.

6. A comb comprising comb teeth mounted so as to be capable of rotatingabout their axes and formed with circumferential rills, the free ends ofthe teeth being provided with small freely rotatable balls.

FRANCIS CHARLES HUNT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 681,206 Foltz Aug. 2'7, 1901681,478 Gidda Aug. 27, 1901 883,598 Warren Mar. 31, 1908 1,281,227Sumitani Oct. 8, 1918 1,362,460 Altwein Dec. 14, 1920 1,624,757 OConnorApr. 12, 192'. 2,242,134 Lynn May 13, 1941 2,398,039 Richards Apr. 9,1946

